Sibling Rivalry
by Pippin the hobbit-elf
Summary: ..."A day of wolves and shatter shields! When the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day" But some 200 odd years later, with Eldarion on the throne...could it be THIS day? Dedicated to my sisters, Catie and Max
1. Chapter One

A young woman slid off her horse and bounded up the steps to the Citadel.

Her feet splashed through the puddles formed by the rain, and her long, wet, blonde hair clung to her face. She was very beautiful, but the mud and blood all over her face hid her features.

She grinned as the Door Wardens recognized her and quickly let her in. But her grin was not a kind and graceful one of thanks, but an evil one, full of malice. She had won, and that just added to her arrogance. She even had a swagger to her step as she marched through the empty hall.

She paid no heed to the two thrones - one on the ground and one placed up higher on a platform - and continued on through a doorway and down a separate hall.

Her belligerent army had successfully besieged the city, and she was very proud. She had to admit, though, that she did not think her plan would work. There were too many chances for flaws. But the king had not seen this, and she was able to attribute his ignorance to her plan. Without that, she was sure she would have lost, and it would be her in the dungeons that she was heading for, not the king.

As she turned down yet another corridor, she could hear voices coming from the cells, and she paused to listen.

"...think she would have won." a light voice mused. "But it was her final attack that caught us off our guard."

"Yes," a second voice agreed. "But it does not matter which attack caused us to fall, Talantir. I have failed my people. Vain was my fathers trust in me to keep this city running!"

"No, Eldarion," The first voice - which she had figured it belonged to an Elf - replied. "You have done well. You did not fail your people, nor your father. She was an apparition that you did not expect. She would have caught your father off guard as well."

She decided that she had heard enough of this and continued her way towards the voices, stopping once she was in front of their cell. She regarded them with a look of apathy on her face, but inside, her head was spinning with thoughts.

"Ah, Asira." The Man said, breaking the silence. "You finally decided to show your face, I see." He looked her over, taking in all of the blood, dirt, and guts all over her chain mail and body. She was quite an impressive sight, he had to admit, even if she was a bit terrifying.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Well, since you managed to keep yourself hidden while on the battlefield -" Talantir began, but he was swiftly cut off by the young lady.

"Silence!" she snapped. "I did not give you permission to speak, nor was I speaking _to_ you."

"Mmm, you always were somewhat rude, Asira." The Elf said, shaking his head.

"Yes, and you were always somewhat autonomous, Talantir." she spat, her eyes blazing. 'Now, I advise you to keep your thoughts to yourself from now on, unless you wish to be moved somewhere worse then this cell."

"I do not think there could be a place worse then somewhere you are." said a new voice.

"Who was that?!" she barked, startled. Eldarion and Talantir eyed each other as a shape rose from the shadows. "It was me." the owner of the voice replied.

"Mithrandir." Asira said, almost relieved "I see you managed to get yourself wrapped up in matters that aren't yours. You always do."

"Ah, but this is my matter, Asira." the old man said. 'You know this."

"I though that you had crossed the Sundering Seas a long time ago." she pointed out, deliberately avoiding the wizards last comment.

"I did."

"And...?" she pressed.

"And I came back now, for a time. Manwe had said there was trouble in Arda." Mithrandir said. "I never thought it would have been you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed, grabbing the bars of their cell and shaking them in anger.

"It means, _Asira_, "Talantir began. "That you were once innocent and good, but you long ago left the path of wisdom."

"Is that so?" she said, her voice eerily calm all of the sudden.

"Yes." Eldarion answered. "When you disappeared all those many years ago, I knew that you would never be the same again. As a matter of fact, I did not even expect you to survive, let alone come back to this city."

"bit I did come back, and look where it got the three of you." Asira sneered. "The wizard is powerless, The Elf is weaponless, and you, Eldarion, have lost your beloved city."

"I suppose what you say is applicable in this situation, Asira. Or...so it would seem." Eldarion said with a smirk.

Asira shifted uneasily at this comment, the asterisk - like stars upon her sword sheath glittering in the dim firelight. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"What do I mean?" Eldarion repeated, standing up. 'I mean that I have not lost my city, nor have _you_ won."

"I _have_ won!" Asira cried nervously. "The city of Gondor is mine! I even have someone here to assess the value of your treasury! _I have won_!"

"I am afraid that is where you are wrong." Talantir commented, now standing up with the others. With a snap of the Elf's fingers, half a dozen guards come out of the shadows, sword drawn.

"What...? How...?" she stammered, her shocked brain unable to form coherent sentences.

"I was sometime ago." Eldarion said. "When one of your men assassinated the Lord Hurin. It was then that we were tipped off about your plan."

"...Hurin...?" the woman said, brow furrowed.

"Yes." Mithrandir said, speaking once again. "Do not play a fool, Asira. We have played along with your plan, for our part."

"But I surprised you with that last attack!" She cried out. "I lost many men, but I won! The city is MINE!"

"Guards!" Eldarion said, ignoring her cry. "Get her!"

As the guards began to advance on the young lady, Asira unsheathed her sword, her blue eyes like ice. "I would die before I am taken prisoner to you." she hissed. And so the fight began.

At first, it did seem as though Asira was sticking to her word, for one man had already fallen, and she was fighting with a second. As soon as she pierced the soft flesh of the man's stomach, her sword was kicked out of her hands, and her arms were grabbed and pulled behind her back by one of the sentries. The other three kept their swords aimed at her throat, ready to kill.

"As much as you would prefer to die, Asira," Eldarion said, amused. "I would rather you didn't."

"Why?" Asira sneered. "So I can be at your mercy?" She spat at the ground near his feet. "Never!"

Angered at the woman's action towards their lord, the guards dug the tips of their swords into her throat. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to cause pain.

"Enough!" Eldarion cried. "Guards, lower your weapons! Beregond, let us out."

As the men lowered their swords ever so slightly, one of them pulled a ring of keys out from a pocket inside his cloak. When he found the appropriate key, he unlocked the cell door, and let his King, the Elf, and the Wizard out of the cell.

Without a word, the trio led the way down the hall and out of the Citadel, followed closely by the remaining guards and a struggling Asira.

The group stood on the topmost step, awaiting the King's decision. Finally, he spoke.

"I suppose you would like to know how we were able to defeat you." he said.

"Yes, that would be nice." the woman replied sarcastically.

"Ah, well, it was quite simple, really." Eldarion said lightly. "Not all of your men were loyal to you. Some were my spies."

"I see." Asira said angrily. "And you pretended not to know anything, and to have your city empties of warriors, as to lead me into my own trap?"

Eldarion, Talantir, and Mithrandir nodded. "I must say, though." the Elf said thoughtfully. "That I never expected out plan to work."

"Asira!" Eldarion said, and the girl jerked her head towards him. "Never again do I want to see you in the Realm of Gondor again. Nor do I want to hear word that you have been about in any other kingdom. Do you understand?" She nodded, and he turned to the guards. "Release her!"

They did so by tossing her down the steps, and she landed in one of the puddles. Mud now covered her entire face and body, and she no longer seemed to be an impressive sight. In fact, the king now thought of her as weak and feeble.

Shaking, Asira rose and limped over to her horse. Without even a second glance behind her, she hopped rather ungracefully onto her horse, and rode off, never to be seen again in the City of Gondor.

End


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Hey! As you could probably tell, I decided to put the ending first on this story, and then all of the events as they lead up to it. So, yeah. But one more thing: These are my multiple english essays, so the underlined words in the previous one were there cos they were my vocabulary. but hey... so basically im using the excuse of "it's homework!" to write fanfiction. hey, it works! so please, R&R!

Chapter Two

"My Lord! I bid you stay! Send help, but do not go yourself!" Tinuin, a servant of the king, begged. But the King shook his head.

"I have no hope to send, therefore I must go myself." Eldarion said as he fastened his sword sheath around his waist.

"But milord!" Tinuin argued. "We need you to stay here!"

"And what would you wish me to do?" Eldarion asked. "Stay seated on my throne, benign and prudent, while my men give their lives for their country?"

Tinuin bowed his head. "Nay, milord. But who will lead us if you were to fall?"

Eldarion sighed as he placed his helm upon his head. "When the great fall, the less must lead." he said simply, and with that, strode from his chambers to the main hall, with Tinuin at his heels.

As they reached the throne room, a messenger burst through the main doors to the Citadel as a flash of lightening lit up the room.

"My lord!" the messenger gasped, soaked to the bone and shivering. "Talantir and Mithrandir have returned!"

"Let them in!" Eldarion said happily. "This is indeed good news!"

The messenger bowed before leaving his lord's presence, and a moment later, two figures entered through the doors, both as wet as the messenger had been.

"_Mae Govannen_!" Eldarion said in greeting. The king was bilingual, and it helped him greatly in many negotiations.

"Well met indeed, my friend!" the lithe figure said. It was Talantir, an Elf out of the Northern Woodland Realm.

"Ah, Mithrandir!" Eldarion said, greeting the other with a smile. 'It has been said that you come often as a herald of woe to this City in past times such as these."

"In two ways may a man come with evil tidings. He may be the worker of evil; or he may be such as leaves well alone, and comes only to aid in times of need." the old man said. The man was clothed in white, with a white staff and white hair. He was definitely none other then The White Wizard.

"Ah, my most beloved benefactors!" Eldarion laughed. "I am very glad that you have come. I was going to go out to my men, but I imagine you would like to dry off first. You must have had to been buoyant in order to survive out there!"

Talantir laughed. "Aye, it would seem that way, would it not? But we made it here all right, though I do not know about our horses!"

Eldarion chuckled. "Those poor creatures! I do hope you took them to the stables!"

"Of course." Talantir grinned. "Though I don't think that even the stables will provide any shelter for them in this weather!"

"But enough with the greetings, Eldarion." Mithrandir said sternly. "There is work to be done, and then we may have time for merriment."

Eldarion nodded. "Do you know who is responsible for the attacks on Gondor, Mithrandir?"

"I do, and so do the two of you." the wizard said, gesturing to the Elf and the Man. The two eyed each other. "We do?" the Elf asked.

"You do indeed. You knew this person as a children...well, when Eldarion was a child, actually." the wizard added as an afterthought.

"We did?"

"Yes, and you've even read her biography once or twice since you've become king, Eldarion."

"Ah, so it's a her, is it?" Talantir said triumphantly. "...That doesn't help me at all, really...." he said with a frown.

"I believe the book was on the bibliography that your father gave you as well, Talantir." Mithrandir said, and the Elf blushed. Eldarion and Mithrandir laughed.

"Is it......?" Eldarion began, but he shook his head. Talantir's eyes widened. "No, it can't be!" The two of them turned to the wizard. "Is it Asira?"

"Indeed it is." the old man said gravely.

"Asira?" Talantir asked disbelievingly. "That bizarre little human? She ran off, all those many years ago. How could it possibly be her?"

"She has returned, and she is not the same as she was all those years ago. She has changed, I am afraid, for the worse." Mithrandir sighed. "It is because of her that I have returned from across the Sundering Seas, to aid you in this time of need."

"It's just a woman." Talantir said. "What harm could she possibly be doing?"

"Did you not see?" Eldarion asked.

"No. Mithrandir and I arrived by the back road. We did not pass through the Fields of the Pelannor, so I did not see anything." Talantir replied with a shrug.

Eldarion arched an eyebrow, and with a silent gesture, made his way to the front doors, the Elf and the Wizard right behind him. The King pushed open the doors, and made his way to the wall, ignoring the buckets upon buckets of rain pouring down on them.

"This is exactly what Asira is capable of doing, Talantir." Eldarion said with a sigh, gesturing to the field two thousand feet below them.

Talantir cautiously leaned over the edge as much as he dared to, and gasped at the sight that met his eyes.

Yrchs, thousands upon thousands of Yrchs covered the field, trying to get into the city. The few that did manage to get inside were brutally slaughtering the Men of Gondor, and bisecting them without a care.

Pulling back away from the wall, Talantir looked at the wizard and the king disbelievingly, his face pale.

".............Whoa........" The Elf said finally, after a long pause.

"Yes, I suppose that about sums it up." the King said blandly.

"But....But she used to be our friend!" Talantir said, shaking his head.

"People change, _mellon-nin_." Eldarion said sadly. "In this case, for the worse."

Talantir looked back down over the fields. "What chance do we have against an enemy like her?" he asked. "She lived here, so it's like handing out a brochure to all of the Yrchs and welcoming them into the City!" The Elf sighed, running a hand through his long blonde hair. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't despair." he said after a moment. "I just find it hard to believe that Asira would do such a thing."

"I thought that too when Mithrandir said who it was, Talantir." Eldarion said with a sigh. "But she has done such a thing, and we must stop her, even if it means we kill her in the end."

"But what do you suppose we do?" Talantir asked, wiping his wet hair from his face.

"Do not worry." Mithrandir said suddenly. "I have a plan..."


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Well, here is the next chapter that I have typed up. Hope you enjoy it! I hopefully will get the next one typed soon!

Chapter Three

The sound of the cadence preceded the arrival of the enemy of the city, and the people feared it's coming, knowing not where this person had come from. Chaos was breaking out everywhere as news traveled through each of the seven rings of the city: the Back Road was taken. There was now no escape - the people were trapped.

The rain had stopped a while ago, but King Eldarion had not given any sign that he noticed as he paced the lawn in front of the citadel, deep in thought.

He heard the confused cries of his people echoing below him, and he knew he must get to them before the enemy did.

"Why don't we just kill her and get it over with?" Talantir asked. "Not that I'm like that or anything," he added. "But Mithrandir's plan is near impossible! If we go out there and kill her - POOF! It's done!" Talantir explained uneasily.

"Many that live deserve death, Talantir." Eldarion said softly. "And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them?"

Talantir shook his head. Eldarion sighed.

"Then do not be too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety." The King explained. "Even the wise cannot see all ends."

The Elf sighed, running a hand through his damp hair, looking up at the sun.

"if she wasn't our friend, would you think otherwise, Eldarion?" Talantir questioned. "Just curious." he added quickly.

The Man sighed, watching the Enemy get closer and closer to the city. The only way he could tell which dot was the Enemy on the field 2,000 feet below was by the way all of the millions of dots that were Yrchs parted to let the single dot pass.

"Nay, my friend, even then I would not be able to say yea. For then she may not be our friend, but she would still be my sister."

Talantir stared at his friend in disbelief. "What?" he managed to ask after a moment of staring blankly at the king.

"Asira is my sister." Eldarion said with a sigh, watching the grounds below him.

"_Now_ you tell me?" Talantir managed to gasp. "I've known you since you were five, and you never told me, nor did I ever see your _sister_ in the palace. And now, you're four and eighty years old (though only seeming two and forty due to the Elven blood that courses through your veins), and now, _only_ now do you manage to tell me that SHE'S YOUR SISTER!"

"Shhhhh!" Eldarion hissed. "Calm down!"

The Elf stared at him in bewilderment. "Calm down? Calm down?!" he cried. "Do you know how much trouble this little tidbit of information could cause? Does Mithrandir even know?"

"Of course he knows, Talantir." Eldarion said. "Which is why he recommended I remain as far away from her as possible - both now and when I was young...though I didn't listen very much when I was young..." he added as an after thought.

Talantir plopped himself on the bottom step of the citadel incase he would fall over from this attack of new and surprising information.

"Young?" the Elf repeated.

"Mithrandir had advised Mother and Father to circumscribe any contact between my sister and I. To this day I still do not know the answer as to why, but my parents complied and she went to live in the fifth ring of the city when we were five."

"We?" the Elf repeated wearily.

"Yes, we. Did I not tell you? Asira and I are twins."

Talantir rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Great, just what we need to make this war harder. Now she'll definitely have the upper hand in this battle!"

Before the king could reply, a servant came clambering up the steps that lead to the lawn that they were standing on. Forgetting about chivalry, the young man went straight into babbling about nonsense.

Talantir stared at the servant in utter confusion, but Eldarion smiled and held up a hand to silence him.

"Events are best told in chronological order, Hilden." he said lightly, and the servant nodded his head reverently.

"My Lords, he has come!" he gasped.

"Who has come?" Talantir asked wearily from his spot on the stairs.

"Th-the w-witch k-k-k-king!" Hilden managed to stutter, and both the king and the Elf gasped.

"Are you sure?" Eldarion asked, hurrying back over to the wall.

"Yes, milord. The Lord of the Ulairi has returned! We are doomed!"

"But the White Lady of Rhonovian destroyed him in the Great War!" Talantir whispered. Looking very pale and worn. "How can he be back?"

Eldarion said nothing as he looked back down on the fields of the Pelennor. There stood a solitary black dot from which it seemed a centrifugal force was sending all of the other dots far away from it. The Lord of the Ulairi had indeed returned.

"What are we going to do now?" Talantir practically whined. "If she has the Ulairi under her control, we really have no chance against her!"

"Calm down, Master Elf!" barked a voice coming from the doors of the citadel. The three people spun around to see the old wizard coming down the stairs.

"Do not despair. If we follow my plan," he eyed the Elf. "No matter how _impossible_ it may seem, we may win this war."

The servan nodded his head vigorously before quickly bowing and rushing back down to the other rings of the city.

Eldarion looked back out to the field below him, solemnly watching the constant flow of the Yrchs against the walls of his city. But he would not yet despair.

Mithrandir walked past the Elf and over to Eldarion. But he was hunched over, as though he had chronic back pain, or was carrying a great load.

"Do not worry, Eldarion." Mithrandir said, putting a comforting arm around the king's shoulder. "You will win this war, just as your father won the Great War."

"That was over 200 years ago." Eldarion countered as he continued to watch the flow of the carnivorous creatures below. "This is now. My father's Enemy was not his brothers. Yet mine _is_ my sister. I would do anything not to hurt her, yet to win this war, I will end up hurting her anyway."

"She cares for you no longer." the wizard said. "She has changed. Asira no longer sees you as her brother, but as her own Enemy. Someone in her was of getting what she wants."

"She has changed, but I have not. Long years have passed since I last played with my sister when we were ten or so, even when you wished us apart. When she left, I waited for her to return. Now that she has, I still see her as my sister, no matter how she may see me."

"And that s only how I can expect you to feel." Mithrandir said. "But we must stick to The Plan." and with that, the wizard walked off, passing a hand through the cascade of water falling from a fountain he walked past in the middle of the lawn.

As soon as the wizard left, Talantir walked over to his friend.

"So, what are we gonna do?"


End file.
